Fire apparatus.



No. 667,|49. Patented. Ian. 29, I90I.

F. KENNEY.

FIRE APPARATUS.

(Application filed Mar. 8, 1900. 2 Sheets-Sheet I.

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No; 667,!49. Patented Jan. 29, mm.

F. E. KENNEY.

.FIRE APPARATUS.

(Application filed Mar. 8, 1900.) 1 (No Model.) 2 $heeisSheat 2.

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Nrrn STATES ATENT FFICE FRANK E. KENNEY, OF ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA.

FIRE APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 667,149, dated January 29, 1901.

Application filed March 8, 1900. Serial No. 7,792. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK E. KENNEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Paul, in the county of Ramsey and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire Apparatus; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My present invention has for its object to provide an improved fire apparatus adapted to draw the smoke from a burning building or house; and to this end the invention consists of the novel devices and combinations of devices hereinafter described, and defined in the claims.

It very frequently happens, particularly when fires are started in large buildings, that the smoke will so fill certain of the rooms, and especially the basement or cellar, that the fire cannot properly be located and firemen cannot enter on account of the density of the smoke. While water thrown into such a burning room at random may have more or less tendency to put out the fire, still it will not reduce the amount of smoke, but will rather increase the same. There are many reasons why it will often be very desirable to quickly draw out the smoke from a room or basement of a building so that the firemen may enter. While the most common necessity for thus clearing out the smoke is to permit the proper location of the fire, it is, however, by no means the most important, as it will sometimes happen, especially in hotels, that persons may be overcome by the smoke and liable to suffocate unless rescued. The above and other reasons make an apparatus of the character which I have provided very desirable. Such a device will be used as auxiliary to the ordinary fire apparatus generally employed in large cities, and it would preferably be carried by a light fire-wagon provided especially for such purpose, although it might be mounted on certain of the fire-wagons now employed, such as the hookand-ladder or hose-carts, for instance.

My improved fire apparatus will now be described in its preferred form and arrangement, the said apparatus being illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like A characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

v Figure 1 is a view showing a section of a portion of a building and showing in elevation my improved smoke-ejecting apparatus applied in position for action, the truck which carries it being shown in rear end elevation. Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation with some parts broken away, showing the apparatus as it would appear on the wagon or truck in its packed or inoperative position. Fig. 3 is a detail view approximately on the line 00 00 of Fig. 1, showing the water-motor employed to run the fan or blower. Fig. 4 is a vertical section showing the inner end of the draft pipe or tube and its connection to the fancase. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of The outer or receiving member of the draft-tube, some parts being broken away and the expansible leaves thereof being shown as closed. Fig. 6 is a transverse section on the line m w of Fig. 5. Fig. 7 is a transverse section on the line x m of Fig. 5; and Fig. Sis a view looking at the said receiving end of the draft-tube in the direction indicated by the arrow marked a on Fig. 6, some parts being broken away.

The wagon or truck illustrated is indicated as an entirety by the numeral 1, and it will of course be understood that the same may be of any suitable construction, although it would preferably be built much after the design of an ordinary hose-cart, but could be considerably lighter. On this truck or wagon is mounted a fan or blower (indicated as an entirety by the letter (L) and a water-motor, (indicated as an entirety by the letter b.) The fan-case a has an inlet, neck, or passage (1 at one side, and it is provided with a tangentially-opening peripheral discharge-spout a which is preferably extended beyond the rear of the wagon. The fan proper, a is carried by a shaft a which is mounted in the hubs of spider-brackets a a supported from the fan-case. i

The case b of the water-motor is shown as supported by a frame I) from the body of the wagon. The water-wheel b of this motor is rigidly secured on the fan-shaft a which, is projected through the case b andis mounted in suitable bearings b. A water-inlet pipe b which is provided at its outer end with a hydrant connection consisting of a hose b and couplings 17 b extends through the case b and terminates in a nozzle 11 which directs the water onto the peripheral blades of the Water-wheel b"*. At the bottom of the case b is a discharge-tube b to which a dischargehose 1) is preferably connected, as by the coupling Z). By means of the coupling the outer end of the supply-hose b to the water-motor may be connected in the ordinary manner to a hydrant, (indicated by the numeral 2.)

The draft-tube which leads to the fan-case is made up of telescoping and flexibly-connected sections. As shown in the drawings, there are three telescoping sections ff f The section f is connected to a thimble-section f by a plurality of telescoping sections f which are connected to a spring-ribfZthereby making a flexible joint or a section that may be bent more or less on the arc of a circle. The thimble-section f is swiveled to the neck portion a of the fan-case ct, the same for this purpose being provided with an annular flange f, which works between a fixed annular flange a within the said neck (t and the inturned flange of a collar g, which is screw-threaded onto the said neck 0?. At its outer or receiving end the section fof the draft-tube is in a similar manner connected to a short sleeve-section 75 by a plurality of short telescoping sections 7e',secured to a common spring-rib W. The sleeve-section 7c is rounded atits inner end and approximates a square at its outer end. To the outer end of the section It" is attached a head which is adapted to expand in four directions and which when the apparatus is applied in working position is inserted through a window of the room or basement which is to be cleared of smoke. This expansible end of the tube as preferably constructed is as follows: To each of the four rectangular sides of the sections a rectangular leaf on is hinged at m. Overlapping with the adjaceutlongitudinal ledges of the leaves m are angle-pieces on, that are beveled or tapered toward their inner ends and are there hinged or coupled by links m to the section 70. Springs mflwhiclnas shown, are in the form of leaf-springs secured at their ends to the adjacent edges of the anglepieces m tend to force the said angle-pieces apart, so that thereby the expansihle section is put under strain to open up to its limit in all four directions. Normally the parts are secured in their closed or overlapped positions, as indicated in Figs. 5, 6, and 7, by means of clamping-strips 15, which are pressed against the alined flanges of the angle-pieces m by means of short bolts 1), having thumbnuts 19 In applying the expansible end of the tube to the window or opening of the building itis first inserted within the same and then the thum b-nut-s p are loosened, thereby permitting the springs m to become effective to automatically throw the said expansible end open, so as to fill the window in which it is placed.

The use of the Water-motor with the hydrant connection to drive the fan or blower especially adapts this apparatus to the work for which it is designed, inasmuch as Water from the hydrant is always available in cities or towns of any importance. However, the hydrant connection might be applied to any other source of water-supply under pressure. This water-motor with its hydrant connection also affords a motive-power device of small cost.

Another advantage derived from the use of the water-motor and hydrant connection is that the fan may be started into action as soon as connection is made with the hydrant.

hat I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States, is as follows:

1. In a fire agparat us, the combination with the fan or blower and means for driving the same, of a draft-tube'leading thereto, said tube having at its free end an expansible receiving head or section, substantially as described.

2. In a fire apparatus, the combination with the truck, of a fan or blower and means for driving the same, and a telescopically-extensible draft-tube leading to said fan, said tube having an expansible head orsection attached to the free end thereof, by a flexible joint, substantially as described.

3. In a fire apparatus, the combination with the truck, of a fan or blower, a draft tube leading to said fan, and a receiving head or section at the free end of said tube, the sections of which are under strain to expand or open up in all four directions, substantially as described.

4. In a fire apparatus, the combinationwith a fan or blower, of a draft-tube leading to said fan, said tube having at its free end the hinged sections or leaves m, the loosely-hi nged corner or angle irons m springs applied to open the said sections, and clamping devices for holding them closed against said springs, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK E. KENNEY.

\Vitnesses:

HARRY KILGORE, FRANK D. MERCHANT. 

